A study released Tuesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council said that airlines discarded over 4,000 tons of aluminum cans and over 9,000 tons in plastics in 2004, all items, along with others, that could have been recycled. The report, "How Airlines and Airports Can Clean Up Their Recycling Programs," called for airports to set up better recycling programs that could save airports in excess of $100,000 a year. Some airports that have recycling programs only target certain areas, such as administrative offices or selected public areas and not airplane waste, which accounts for nearly half of the waste generated. Associated Press reports in the L.A. Times .

WASHINGTON -- U.S. airports waste hundreds of thousands of dollars each year by discarding 4,250 tons of aluminum cans and other items that could be recycled, a new report says.

The two-year study by the Natural Resources Defense Council examined recycling efforts at 30 U.S. airports. The report found that the industry threw out 9,000 tons of plastic and enough newspapers and magazines to fill a football field to a depth of more than 230 feet.